ForWard 1.7.24
Upcoming Events
Friday, Jan 12
Ward Hockey Night
Monday, Jan 15
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No School
Tuesday, Jan 23
Ward Winter Chorus & Instrumental Concert @ 6:15pm
Tuesday, Feb 6 - Friday, Feb 9
Ward Book Fair
Wednesday, Feb 7 @ 8:30am
PTO/Superintendent/School Committee Meeting
See all events on our Calendar
News
From the Co-Presidents
Happy New Year! Welcome back to school and we hope you had a restful and enjoyable break. We are in the full swing of our annual fund drive and have raised $6,500 so far. It is not too late to contribute to our Annual Fund Drive and are hoping to hit our goal to raise $30,000 in order to support the elementary school experience of your child(ren) at Ward. With the funds raised, we are working closely with Newton Parks and Rec to add a year round weather proof shaded structure to the park adjacent to the John Ward Elementary School in Newton. Such an addition can offer several benefits for our school such as an outdoor learning space during the warm summer months, shaded meeting area for social interaction and outdoor recreation. We appreciate your support as we look forward to an exciting spring of events and improvements at Ward! The Book Fair, Mystery Dinner, and Spring Picnic will be here before we know it; and SO many CAS events at each grade level are yet to come. Your continued support of the PTO truly makes all of these things possible - thank you!
Have a great week!
Rashi & Bryan
Ward PTO Co-Presidents
Ward Book Fair is Back!
Get ready and Save the Date! The Ward Book Fair is back and coming soon to our school! (YAY) and we are looking for volunteers to make it a success for our students. Please sign up here and help us make this an amazing event. More details coming soon!
Lost and Found - Important Message
We are looking for a parent volunteer to manage the lost and found items in the school. This would be someone who either puts the items on display (or via e-board photos) and then collects, washes, and donates the unclaimed clothing at natural breaks like the upcoming school vacation. Please reach out to us at copresidents@wardpto.org if you are interested in helping out!
We noticed while going through the lost and found before break that very few items of clothing were labeled. Items that are labeled have a much higher chance of being reunited with their owners. Please label your child’s jackets and hoodies especially!!
Community Notes & Announcements
2023-2024 STEMentors Private Events are open!
STEMentors is a program in Newton, whose purpose is to bring engaging STEM lessons to K-8 students. Through virtual mentoring, drop-in classes, guest speakers, and trips to schools/libraries, we provide a resource that is accessible to families, teachers, and students, free of charge. As high school students with a passion for science and working with kids, our goal is to inspire the students and spark curiosity. Private events can be any type of get-togethers such as a birthday party, or private science lesson for your child and their friends. NOTE: we ask that all events be made at least 2 weeks in advance. If families are interested, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Jm5wvyYFVuZGAPZU7.
If you would like to check out our website, you can find it here: https://sites.google.com/view/stementors/home.
NPS Community Training on Non-Discrimination Policy
There is a NPS community training on Monday, January 8 from 7-8 pm about the NPS Non-Discrimination Policy that NPS is inviting all NPS parents to attend. Please see additional details here.
NEWTON NEIGHBORS IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS
Want to help your neighbors but unable to commit to long term programs? Come and help out with some of the programs run by Newton Neighbors. Sign up for a day a month or multiple days a week, whatever fits your schedule! Involve your kids too!
Call for Volunteers: Food Pantry Delivery: We are looking for volunteers who can help deliver groceries from our local food pantries to our neighbors who are unable to get to the pantries on their own.
We especially need drivers for our TUESDAY deliveries from Centre Street Food Pantry.
Our schedule is:
Tuesdays from Centre Street Food Pantry. Pickup at either 12 or 12:15 before the pantry opens to the public.
Wednesdays from Newton Food Pantry. Scheduled pickups between 12:15 - 2:45.
It usually takes about an hour of your time and makes a big difference to so many in our community! Sign up here for January.
Call for Volunteers: Newton Community Freedge
Newton Neighbors continues to support the Freedge, Newton Food Pantry’s community refrigerator and pantry initiative. Located in the parking lot of Central Cleaners at 420 Watertown Street in Nonantum, the Freedge is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and offers free food and personal-care items to anyone in need. Newton Neighbors oversees volunteers on Thursdays and has volunteer opportunities throughout the day. Activities include picking up food from business partners and bringing it to the Freedge, shopping for items, and cleaning and maintaining the Freedge. Our link for January signups ishere.
Please let us know if you have any questions!
And please continue to follow the PTO on instagram @wardelementary_pto